Oct. 5, 2005
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#10 Notre Dame (11-1, 3-0 BIG EAST) vs. Valparaiso (14-3, 4-0 Mid-Continent)Wednesday, October 5, 7 p.m. (EST/CDT) • Joyce Center, Notre Dame, IN- Live Internet Audio: www.und.com & www.valpo.edu/student/wvur- Real-Time Stats: www.und.com- Free Sack Packs to the first 200 fans, courtesy of Outpost Sports and Yesterdays- Free Cheesecake samples to the first 200 fans, courtesy of Yesterdays
Notre Dame vs. St. John's (15-5, 1-2 BIG EAST)Saturday, October 8, 2 p.m. (EDT) • Carnesecca Arena, Jamaica, NY
Notre Dame vs. Connecticut (7-7, 1-2 BIG EAST)Sunday, October 9, 2 p.m. (EDT) • Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, CT- Real-Time Stats: www.uconhuskies.com
#10 IRISH HOST VALPARAISO ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE RESUMING BIG EAST PLAY: The 10th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s volleyball team (11-1, 3-0 BIG EAST) returns home briefly this week to play host to intra-state rival Valparaiso (14-3, 4-0 Mid-Continent) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (EST/CDT) in the Joyce Center before resuming BIG EAST Conference action. The Irish will then head on the road this weekend to play at St. John’s (15-5, 1-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday and at Connecticut (7-7, 1-2) on Sunday.
THE RADIO PLANS: Notre Dame’s official athletics website, und.com, features live internet audio broadcasts of all 14 Irish volleyball home matches, as well as one road tilt, in 2005. Stephen Hinkel and Chris Masters, two former collegiate volleyball sports information directors and veterans of announcing Notre Dame volleyball, will have the call for the Valparaiso match. Broadcasts are available to subscribers of Fighting Irish All-Access (details on und.com). Additionally, Valparaiso University’s student radio station, WVUR, will provide a free broadcast of Wednesday’s match, as Ken LaVicka and Josh Weinhold have the call. It is available at www.valpo.edu/student/wvur.
REAL-TIME STATS: Live in-game statistics, courtesy of College Sports Online’s GameTracker, will be made available for the match against Valpo, via the Notre Dame athletics web site, www.und.com.
Irish Items: Highlights of This Notes Package …
– Notre Dame has matched the best 12-match start in program history, opening 11-1 for the fourth time, joining the 1992 (started 12-1; finished 30-8), `94 (20-1; 33-4), and `95 (16-1; 27-7) teams.
– The Irish began the year 7-0, upsetting #11 Texas (3-2), #8 USC (3-1), and #6 Florida (3-0). It is the first time ND has ever beaten three top-14 teams in the same regular season.
– Notre Dame is currently ranked 10th in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25. The Irish peaked at eighth on Sept. 12, the highest ranking since 1996 (and one off the all-time best for the program).
– ND is 3-0 in BIG EAST play for the 10th time in 11 years of league membership. The Irish and Louisville (4-0) are the only two unbeatens in conference play. For the first time since joining the BIG EAST, ND was not the preseason favorite (Louisville was). Notre Dame, which has won nine regular-season crowns and eight BIG EAST tournament titles in 10 years, hosts #6 Louisville on Oct. 29.
– Notre Dame came into the week as the only Division I school to rank among the national top 15 in both blocking (8th, now 3.44) and digging (11th, 18.55). ND was among the top five in Division I in blocking from 2001-04, including first in `03 (Brewster was the individual champ).
– Notre Dame boasts the top two blockers in the BIG EAST: seniors MB Lauren Brewster (1st, 1.52) and MB Carolyn Cooper (2nd, 1.50). Brewster, the `05 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and an `04 All-American, was the National Player of the Week on Sept. 5. ND is 27-3 when Cooper starts.
– ND’s offense — led by sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis — has been much improved over the last four matches (16.92 K, .297) following a lineup shift (which included switching senior Meg Henican to libero and sophomore Adrianna Stasiuk to OH). In first 8 matches: 14.81 K, .200.
– Tarutis leads the BIG EAST in assists (12.43) and is 31-9 as a starter (4-1 vs. top-15 teams).
– Senior OH Lauren Kelbley, the only Division I hitter to have been an AVCA all-region pick in each of the last three years, is averaging 5.00 kills on .403 hitting, plus 0.56 aces in the last 4 matches.
– ND is on pace to shatter the Irish record for dig average (BIG EAST leading 18.55, record is 18.23 in `92). The Irish boast two players — Stasiuk (4th, 4.90) and Henican (5th, 4.45) — of the top five in the BIG EAST dig leaders. Those two broke the ND record for combined digs last season (884).
– ND is also on pace to break the Irish record for opponent ace average (0.86, record is 0.94 in `03). Henican has 105 straight receptions without an error (since first point of game 3 vs. Seton Hall; 98.4% on season), while junior DS Danielle Herndon is at 96.5% and Stasiuk is at 96.1% for the season.
– ND is averaging 1.80 service aces and just 2.20 errors per game (1.23 errors/ace). The Irish have had more aces than errors in 5 of last 7 matches. Tarutis leads team with 1.55 ace/error ratio (17/11).
– Notre Dame has five seniors on its roster in 2005, making it just the third ND team ever to have that.
– ND leads the all-time series with Valparaiso (19-3), St. John’s (10-0), and Connecticut (14-1)
– Valparaiso has three ND-area products on its roster: junior MB Jessie Fox (Granger/Penn H.S.) and freshmen L Brittany Marks (Elkhart/Memorial H.S.) and MB Allison Sears (Elkhart/Memorial H.S.).
The Irish in Brief …
SNAPSHOT OF THE IRISH: Notre Dame’s women’s volleyball program, now in its 26th varsity season, has experienced a wealth of success since the arrival of head coach Debbie Brown in 1991. Now in her 15th season, Brown has guided Notre Dame to a winning record every year (and 20+ wins in each year but one), compiling a 355-119 (.749) mark. The Irish have earned 13 consecutive berths to the NCAA Championship, including a `93 quarterfinal finish and three trips to the round of 16 (1994, `95, and `97). Since joining the BIG EAST Conference in `95, Notre Dame has dominated the league, winning nine regular-season and eight tournament titles in 10 years. Overall, the Irish are 110-6 (.948) in regular-season BIG EAST play and 19-2 (.905) in conference tournament action. Notre Dame is 61-1 (.984) in BIG EAST regular-season matches in the Joyce Center. The 2005 Irish team returned nine of its top 10 players from last year’s squad that was 21-9, won both the regular-season and tournament titles in the BIG EAST and reached the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament. The Irish also were among the top five blocking teams in Division I for the fourth straight year (4th, 3.37 after being 1st in `03), and they returned eight of their top nine blockers from that group. This year’s squad is one of the most-veteran groups in program history, featuring five seniors. Plus, all nine returnees had been a starter at some point in the past.
Up front, Notre Dame is led by a potent pair of senior fourth-year starters named Lauren: MB Lauren Brewster and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (KELL-blee). Brewster, the 2003 NCAA blocking champ, became the second All-American in program history in 2004, earning third-team accolades from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The 2005 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year after being a first-team all-conference pick twice and the `04 MVP of the league tournament, she has led the conference in blocking in each of the last three years and ranks second in Irish history in career hitting percentage and block average. Brewster was the MVP of both of the first two tournaments on the ’05 Irish schedule (the Shamrock Invitational and UTSA Dome Rally) and has already been the BIG EAST Player of the Week twice, as well as the Collegiate Volleyball Update’s National Player of the Week on Sept. 5. Kelbley is the only Division I hitter to have been an all-region selection by the AVCA in each of the last three years. She was honorable mention All-America in both 2003 and `04 and came into the season as the only player to rank among the top five in Irish history in career hitting percentage and career kill average. Kelbley began her collegiate career at middle blocker before moving to outside hitter late in 2003 and then leading Notre Dame in kills from that position a year ago.
Senior co-captain OH/L Meg Henican (HENN-ih-kin) is back for her third year in the starting lineup. She played mostly libero over the previous two campaigns, but has also seen time at outside hitter (where she played a lot early in `05). Henican turned in the top digging campaign ever by an Irish competitor in 2004, breaking the ND records for digs in a season (553) and season dig average (4.94), plus the marks for digs in any-length match (37 in four games vs. Seton Hall on 10/10/04) and digs in an NCAA-tournament match (27 vs. Valparaiso in the first round). She has had 20+ digs in a match on 21 occasions during her career and 10 or more in 39 of the last 40.
Two other Irish hitters — senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper and sophomore L/OH Adrianna Stasiuk (stuh-SHEWK) — are back for their second seasons as starters. The veteran stepped into the lineup at middle blocker a month into the `04 campaign and has seen Notre Dame post a 27-3 record with her as a starter through her career. Stasiuk started every match in her rookie season at opposite and was tabbed the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week twice and led the team in service aces (41), becoming just the second ND freshman to hit the 40-ace mark. She missed the first three matches of this season due to injury and has returned to play both libero and outside hitter, posting a career-high 29 digs vs. #8 USC.
The graduation of four-year starter Emily Loomis — who played all across the front row and finished her career fifth in kills (1,321) — opened up one starting spot in the lineup, which has been filled by freshman OH Mallorie Croal (krole). A Volleyball magazine Fab 50 selection, she responded with a pair of double-doubles (22 digs vs. Arizona State) in her first two collegiate starts and was the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Sept. 5. Sophomore Ellen Heintzman (HIGHNTZ-min) — who started eight matches as a rookie — also started two matches at outside hitter this season.
Back in the starting setting role again this season is sophomore Ashley Tarutis (tuh-ROO-diss), who took over as the team’s top setter in the third match of 2004 and helped the Irish lead the BIG EAST in hitting percentage in league matches (.254). She has a career record of 31-9 as a starter, including 4-1 against top-15 teams. Senior S Kelly Burrell (burr-ELLE) is the backup setter, as she has been throughout her career, and also contributes as a backrow substitute.
When Henican or Stasiuk are not in the libero jersey (which is green this season for the first time after being blue for two years and gold in `04), it will likely be filled by junior DS/L Danielle Herndon. She has been a regular throughout her career at both that spot and defensive specialist. Freshman DS/S Madison Clark has been a regular back-row sub for Notre Dame early this season, while the two other rookies — MB Justine Stremick and DS Annie Mokris — have seen some time, as well.
HEAD COACH Debbie Brown: Irish head coach Debbie Brown is in her 15th season at the helm of the Notre Dame program. She has led the Irish to a 355-119 (.749) mark, while holding a 472-202 (.700) overall record. Brown’s Notre Dame teams have earned 13 consecutive NCAA tournament berths, advancing to the quarterfinals in 1993 and the round of 16 in `94, `95, and `97. Her squads have won 20 or more matches 12 times. A nine-time conference coach of the year and the only four-time BIG EAST coach of the year (in addition to four honors in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference and one in the Pac-10), she has coached eight Irish players to All-America honors, while 35 have gained all-BIG EAST mention since 1995. The Irish also have claimed 13 regular-season conference titles (4 Midwestern Collegiate, 9 BIG EAST) and 12 league tournament crowns (4 MCC, 8 BIG EAST). A co-captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic volleyball team after winning a pair of national championships and earning All-America honors twice while playing at USC, Brown graduated from Arizona State in 1982 and coached her alma mater from 1983-88, helping the Sun Devils to five NCAA tournaments.
ND STAYS 10TH IN CSTV/AVCA POLL: After registering road victories against Loyola Chicago (3-0), Syracuse (3-0), and Marquette (3-1) last week, Notre Dame stayed 10th in this week’s CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Poll. Notre Dame was a season-high eighth on Sept. 12, which was the highest ranking for the Irish since Sept. 3, 1996, and just one shy ofthe program best. Since being ranked for the first time in the preseason of 1992, the Irish have been listed in the AVCA top 25 at some point in every season except for one (1999). In all, Notre Dame has been ranked in 125 of the 204 polls since then (61%). Only 20 schools have been ranked on more occasions than the Irish since the AVCA rankings debuted in 1982, and just 16 have been in more polls since the commencement of the 1992 campaign. Four of Notre Dame’s 2005 opponents – #5 Florida, #6 Louisville, #17 Southern California, and #19 Texas – are also ranked, while Louisiana State and Tennessee are receiving votes. The Irish and Cardinals have made this season the first time ever that two BIG EAST Conference teams were listed simultaneously in the AVCA poll.
BREWSTER TABBED BIG EAST PRESEASON POY; KELBLEY ON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM: Senior middle blocker Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.), a third-team All-American and the conference-tournament MVP in 2004, was tabbed the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and is joined by fellow senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) on the preseason all-BIG EAST team in voting by the league’s head coaches. Brewster is the fourth Notre Dame student-athlete – but first since 2001 – to be named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year in the eight years since the award debuted in 1998. Other Irish competitors to enter the season with that distinction were setter Denise Boylan in both `98 and 2000 and OPP Kristy Kreher in 2001. Only two of the previous seven preseason players of the year have gone on to also be the postseason picks of the coaches as the BIG EAST’s best player in the same season: Boylan in 2000 and Pittsburgh’s now-graduated Megan Miller a season ago. Notre Dame has placed multiple players on the preseason all-BIG EAST teams in each of its eight years of existence.
STREAKS: The following streaks are active heading into this week:
– ND has won four consecutive matches [last loss: 9/18 vs. Louisiana State, 2-3]
– ND has won four consecutive home matches [last loss: 11/16/04 vs. Northern Iowa, 2-3]
– ND has won 20 consecutive matches when winning game one [last loss: 10/20/04 at BYU, 2-3]
– ND has won 48 consecutive matches when winning the first two games [last loss: 9/18/02 at Purdue]
– ND has won six consecutive matches when splitting the first two games [last loss: 11/16/04 vs. Northern Iowa, 2-3]
– ND has won 30 consecutive matches when finishing with a higher hitting percentage than its opponent [last loss: 11/16/03 at Pittsburgh, 2-3, .215-.170 hitting]
– ND has won 24 consecutive matches when finishing with more kills than its opponent [last loss: 11/16/03 at Pittsburgh, 2-3, 69-63 kills]
– ND has won 15 consecutive matches when finishing with more blocks than its opponent [last loss: 11/16/04 vs. Northern Iowa, 2-3, 18.5-15 blocks]
– ND has lost 10 consecutive matches when finishing with fewer blocks than its opponent [last win: 11/23/02 vs. Connecticut, BIG EAST semifinals, 1-3, 9-10 blocks]
– ND has won seven consecutive matches lasting three games [last loss: 12/4/04 at Wisconsin, NCAA second round]
– ND has won six consecutive matches lasting four games [last loss: 9/28/04 at Michigan]
– ND has won eight consecutive matches not played on neutral courts [last loss: 12/4/04 at Wisconsin, NCAA second round, 0-3]
– ND has won seven consecutive matches against BIG EAST teams [last loss: 11/7/04 vs. Boston College, 0-3]
– ND has won seven consecutive matches against the AVCA’s Northeast Region [last loss: 11/7/04 vs. Boston College, 0-3]
– ND has won four consecutive matches against nationally-ranked teams [last loss: 9/4/04 vs. #2 Nebraska, 2-3]
– ND has lost three consecutive two-point games [last win: 9/11 vs. #6 Florida, 30-28 in third game]
– ND has won all 10 all-time meetings with St. John’s
– ND has won 11 consecutive matches against Connecticut [last loss: 10/9/98, away, 2-3]
– Senior OH Lauren Kelbley has had 10+ kills in seven consecutive matches [last without: 9/10 vs. Oklahoma, 5 kills]
– Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican has had 10+ digs in seven consecutive matches [last without: 9/10 vs. Oklahoma, 8 kills]
– Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster has had 3+ blocks in 12 consecutive matches [last without: 12/4/04 at Wisconsin, NCAA second round, 2 blocks]
– Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican has fielded 105 consecutive serves without an error [last reception error: 9/25/05 vs. Seton Hall, first point of third game]
– Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican has played in each of the last 273 Irish games, the longest streak in school history [last game missed: 11/15/02 at Miami]
– Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster has played in all 104 Notre Dame matches since stepping onto campus
– Sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis has led Notre Dame in assists in all 42 matches as a collegian
Notes On This Week’s Matches …
CONNECTIONS: Valparaiso has three players on its roster who hail from the South Bend area: junior MB Jessie Fox (Granger, Penn H.S.) and freshmen L Brittany Marks (Elkhart, Memorial H.S.) and Allison Sears (Elkhart, Memorial H.S.) … Valpo head coach Carin Avery is a graduate of Mishawaka High School, and her husband Mike is an assistant coach for the Notre Dame men’s soccer team.
ND-VALPO SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and Valparaiso, formerly North Star Conference rivals, will meet for the eighth consecutive year and 23rd time overall, which will tie Valpo for the most-common opponent in the history of ND varsity volleyball … after Valparaiso won the first two meetings, ND won 18 in a row from 1981-2003 before the Crusaders prevailed 26-30, 30-24, 30-26, 24-30, 15-12 in the Joyce Center last season … the teams met again in the second round of the NCAAs, with ND winning 30-21, 20-30, 30-28, 30-20 … the Irish had posted 10 straight 3-0 wins before `04 and have won 36 of the last 40 games (overall games: ND 58, Valpo 12) … this will be Valpo’s third trip in as many years to the Joyce Center, where they are 1-8 … ND’s 19 victories vs. VU are the most against any opponent … ND won all five North Star matches from 1983-87, as well as a pair in the NSC tournament in Chicago (’86 and ’87) … the `03 match saw a pair of ND records, as Jessica Kinder had 28 digs, the most-ever in a three-game contest, and Emily Loomis set a mark for most kills in a match without an error, with 24 … in `84, ND had 17 aces in a three-game victory over Valpo, the most-ever for the Irish in any length match.
CURRENT IRISH vs. VALPARAISO: See pdf for statistics of current Irish players in career matches against Valparaiso.
ND-VALPO MATCH-BY-MATCH: See pdf for the match scores of all 22 previous contests between the Irish and Crusaders. ND holds a 19-3 all-time edge, including 10-1 under head coach Debbie Brown and 8-1 at home.
ND-SJU SERIES NOTES: The Irish and Red Storm will meet for the 11th time, once per season since Notre Dame became a member of the BIG EAST Conference in 1995 … the Irish have won each of the previous 10 matches, taking 30 of 31 games … in 2004, Notre Dame prevailed 30-16, 30-17, 30-20 in the Joyce Center … this will be ND’s fifth trip to Jamaica, where it has won all 12 previous games … the schools first met in ’95, with the Irish winning 15-0, 15-6, 15-4 to start a streak of 22 consecutive game victories over SJU … the Red Storm’s lone game win was a 30-25 triumph in the second game in ’02 in the Joyce Center … New York has produced five Irish volleyball players, making it one of just six states to do so … in the 1998 match, Notre Dame finished with 20 blocks, which still stands as the most-ever for the Irish in a three-game contest … the ’01 affair saw the Irish take the first game 30-8, which is the largest margin of victory for Notre Dame in a game in school history … last year’s 37-point Irish triumph is tied for the third-largest margin of victory since the 30-point-game format was adopted.
CURRENT IRISH vs. ST. JOHN’S: See pdf for statistics of current Irish players in career matches against St. John’s.
ND-SJU MATCH-BY-MATCH: See pdf for the match scores of all 10 previous contests between the Irish and Red Storm. ND has won each match, including four at St. John’s.
ND-UCONN SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and Connecticut will meet for the 16th time, with every contest coming since ND became a BIG EAST member in 1995 … ND leads the series 13-1, including 11 straight wins … ND won 30-20, 30-15, 22-30, 30-20 last year in the Joyce Center … the Irish are 4-1 in Storrs, including three straight victories … the teams have three times played five-game affairs, with UConn gaining its only victory over ND in `98 (16-14 in the fifth after being down 2-games-to-1) in Storrs … that was ND’s first loss to a BIG EAST school since becoming a league member, ending a 41-match winning streak (35 reg. season, 6 tourn.) … in the semis of that year’s BIG EAST Championship, UConn won the first two games before Notre Dame won three straight by 15-13 scores to start an 11-match winning streak against Connecticut … the teams met five consecutive years (`98-’02) in the league tourn. … ND leads 44-9 in games won … each of the last four matches – and five of the last six – have been 3-1 ND wins … in `00, Christi Girton had 31 kills, the third-highest total ever by an Irish player and the last 30-kill match for ND.
CURRENT IRISH vs. CONNECTICUT: See pdf for statistics of current Irish players in career matches against UConn.
ND-UCONN MATCH-BY-MATCH: See pdf for the match scores of all 15 previous contests between the Irish and Huskies. ND leads 14-1, including 5-0 at UConn.
MOST-COMMON OPPONENTS IN IRISH HISTORY: See pdf for the list of most-common opponents faced by Notre Dame in its 26 years of varsity volleyball.
MOST WINS AGAINST ONE SCHOOL: See pdf for the list of teams Notre Dame has defeated most in its 26 years of varsity volleyball.
MOST WINS WITHOUT A LOSS: See pdf for the list of teams Notre Dame has defeated most without suffering a defeat in its 26 years of varsity volleyball.
Notre Dame Team Notes …
START ME UP: Notre Dame has begun the season 11-1, matching the best 12-match start in Irish history. Three previous ND teams began with 11 wins in the first 12 matches. The 1992 team began 12-1 en route to finishing 30-8 and ranked 22nd, losing in the round of 32 of the NCAA tournament. In `94, the Irish began a program-best 20-1 en route to a program-best 33-4 record and a program-best #12 final ranking, losing in the NCAA round of 16. The last start this fast came in 1995, when ND began 16-1 en route to a 27-7 record, #14 final ranking, and berth in the NCAA round of 16.
DE-FENSE, DE-FENSE: Heading into this week, Notre Dame is the only team to rank among the top 15 in Division I in both blocks per game and digs per game. The Irish, who have finished in the top five in the category for four straight years, are eighth in blocking, at 3.44. Notre Dame — which has never finished among the national leaders and has never ended up better than fifth in the BIG EAST in the category — ranks 11th in Division I (and first in the conference) with 18.55.
BLOCK PARTY: The Irish are once again one of the top blocking teams in the nation. Notre Dame, which has led the BIG EAST Conference in each of the last four years and has been among the top five blocking teams in the NCAA in all of those seasons, returned eight of its top nine blockers from last year’s squad that averaged 3.37 per game, good enough for fourth nationally. After being fifth in 2001 (3.53) and second in ’02 (3.66), the Irish led Division I in team blocking in 2003 (3.72). Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.), the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, has led the conference in blocking in both overall and league action in each of her three collegiate seasons. After setting Notre Dame freshman records in both total blocks (175) and block average (1.68) and coming in fourth nationally in 2002, she was the NCAA blocking champ in 2003 (1.78) and finished 21st last season (1.54). Through 12 matches, Notre Dame is averaging 3.44 blocks per game, which is tops in the BIG EAST and eighth nationally. Brewster and fellow senior MB Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) rank first and second, respectively, in this week’s conference leaders at 1.52 and 1.50 blocks per game.
SENIOR CITIZENS: Notre Dame has five seniors on its roster in 2005: MB Lauren Brewster, S Kelly Burrell, MB Carolyn Cooper, L/OH Meg Henican, and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley. The last Irish volleyball team to feature five seniors was the 2000 squad, which boasted S Denise Boylan, OH Christi Girton, S/DS Michelle Graham, MB/OPP Jo Jameyson, and OH Adrienne Shimmel. That team went 26-7 and finished ranked 21st after losing in five games at Ohio State in the round of 32 of the NCAA tournament. This is just the third time in the 26-year history of the varsity program that a team has featured five or more seniors. The other squad was the `92 one, which had DS Andrea Armento, OH Marilyn Cragin, MB Jessica Fiebelkorn, MB Cynthia May, MB Majenica Rupe, OH Jen Slosar, and OH Alicia Turner. That team went 30-8 and finished 22nd, falling in the round of 32 of the NCAAs.
THE IRISH EXPERIENCE: Notre Dame has one of its most-experienced teams in 2005, as the Irish returned nine of their top 10 players (in terms of games played) from last year’s squad. All nine of Notre Dame’s returnees had been starters in the past, heading into the year having combined for 284 career starts (31.6 per person). A pair of fourth-year starters – seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) – lead the Irish veterans, along with third-year starter L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.), as well as three other returning starters: senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) and sophomores S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) and OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.). Heading into this season, Notre Dame’s roster had players who had combined to play in 1,790 career games. See pdf for Irish teams with the most combined career games played heading into the season:
LINEUP SWITCH LEADS TO OFFENSIVE FIREWORKS: After eight matches, Notre Dame’s offense was averaging just 14.81 kills per game (10th out of 15 in the BIG EAST) on a .200 attack percentage (10th), plus 13.52 assists per game (8th). Head coach Debbie Brown responded by shifting her lineup, using mostly the same players, but altering rotations, switching senior co-captain Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) into the libero and moving sophomore Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) from there to outside hitter, and using junior DS/L Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.) and senior S Kelly Burrell (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Prep School) as back-row substitutes. The alterations have resulted in a much-improved Irish attack, as sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) has Notre Dame averaging 16.92 kills and 15.38 assists on .297 hitting over the last four matches. The Irish have hit over .300 in seven of those 13 games and below .230 just twice.
DYNAMITE DIGGING: Notre Dame has put up some outstanding dig numbers over the first 12 matches of 2005, averaging a BIG EAST best 18.55 per game (the Irish came into last week ranked seventh nationally in the category). The season average is higher than the ND record in the category (18..23 in 1992). Leading the way are two players that rank among the top five in the BIG EAST, senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) and sophomore OH/L Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.). Stasiuk, who missed the first three matches of the season, ranks fourth in the conference with an average of 4.90 per game, while Henican — who broke the Irish individual record for digs in a season in 2004 — is fifth at 4.45. Junior DS/L Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.) is averaging 2.59 per game, while sophomore S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) is at 2.57, and freshman Mallorie Croal (Villa Park, Calif./Mater Dei H.S.) averages 2.15 per game.
SERVE IT UP: Notre Dame has been a prolific squad at the service line this season, as the Irish have 79 aces (1.80) and just 97 service errors (2.20). The ace-to-error ratio of 0.814 would rank as the second-best output in program history, behind only the 1996 squad’s 1.03. The Irish have had more aces than errors in five matches, including four of the last six. Leading Notre Dame is senior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.), who is third in the BIG EAST in aces (24, 0.55), and sophomore S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.), who is 10th (17, 0.39). Tarutis is tops on the team in ace-to-error ratio, with just 11 errors for a 1.55 mark, while Kelbley has 19 errors for a 1.26 ratio. Senior MB Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) has nine aces and eight errors for a 1.13 ratio.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Notre Dame’s serve-receiving corps has allowed just 38 aces in 44 games this season, an average of 0.86 per game (the Irish record is 0.94 in 2003). ND has not allowed an ace in 22 games (50%), and the Irish held Syracuse — which leads the BIG EAST in at 1.89 per game — without an ace in a 3-0 win on Sept. 30. The Irish are led by senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.), who has taken 44% of the opposing serves this season and has made just seven errors for a 98.4% reception percentage. She has a current streak of 105 consecutive receptions without an error (dating back to the first point of game three vs. Seton Hall on Sept. 25). Sophomore OH/L Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) has taken 43% of the serves after missing the first three matches due to injury and holds a 96.1% mark, while junior DS Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.) is at 96.5%. The Irish are coming off the two best serve-receiving seasons in program history, having surrendered a program-record 0.94 aces per game in 2003 before allowing 0.96 last year.
A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER: Notre Dame finished the month of September with a 10-1 record, marking the fourth time in program history — and second time in three seasons — the Irish were beaten just one time in the month. ND also was 14-1 in 1994, 12-1 in `95, and 8-1 in 2003. This September also marked just the third time in program history that the Irish beat a trio of nationally-ranked teams in the same month. Notre Dame also did that in Septembers of both 1993 (four wins: #3 Nebraska, #9 Illinois, #24 Washington, #24 New Mexico) and `95 (#9 USC, #15 Colorado, #15 Colorado).
NOTRE DAME 10TH IN RKPI: Despite going 3-0 last week, Notre Dame dropped two spots to 10th in the Rich Kern Percentage Index (RKPI), which approximates the NCAA’s RPI formula. Stanford and Purdue passed the Irish this week. Notre Dame stands second — behind #2 Louisville — among teams in the AVCA Northeast Region.
QUICK BIG EAST START: Notre Dame has continued its tradition of quick starts in BIG EAST Conference play, opening 3-0. It is the 10th time in 11 years of league membership (not `98) that the Irish have started BIG EAST action with a 3-0 mark. In fact, ND has begun 7-0 in every year but one prior to this.
THE BIG EAST’S DYNAMIC DUO: Louisville and Notre Dame — picked by league coaches to finish first and second, respectively, in the BIG EAST Conference this season — have already combined to make some league history. On Sept. 5, the Irish moved into the AVCA poll at 19th, joining the 11th-ranked Cardinals to mark the first time ever that two BIG EAST schools were nationally-ranked in volleyball at the same time. The following week, the teams took it one step further, as Notre Dame rose to eighth in the AVCA rankings and Louisville was right behind at ninth. It was the first time that the BIG EAST has had two of the top 10 volleyball teams in the country.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES: Perhaps the most notable characteristic of this year’s Irish team has been an ability to win close games. On the season, Notre Dame is 15-5 in games decided by four points or fewer (8-0 in the UTSA Dome Rally), including winning all three games against #6 Florida by exactly two points.
IRISH CHAMPIONS AGAIN: Notre Dame won a pair of five-game matches (vs. #11 Texas and Arizona State) to win the championship of The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational for the fifth consecutive time and eighth time in 11 all-time tournaments. It meant that 2005 is the sixth consecutive season in which the Irish have captured at least one in-season tournament championship. Last season, they won both the Cal Poly Invitational and the Baden Thanksgiving Tournament in Long Beach, Calif. In 2003, Notre Dame won both the Longhorn Classic in Austin, Texas, and its own Shamrock Invitational. The Irish also won the Shamrock Invitational from 2000-02 and were the champions of the 2000 Lady Seminole Classic in Tallahassess, Fla., and the `02 Golden Dome Invitational at home. Notre Dame also was the only 3-0 team in this season’s UTSA Dome Rally, though there was no champion declared.
GIANT KILLERS: The five-member class of 2006 is just the second group in Notre Dame history to have upset at least one top-15 team in each of its four seasons playing for the Irish. The current seniors topped #10 Pepperdine in 2002, #10 Arizona in `03, #14 Utah a year ago, and #11 Texas, #8 USC, and #6 Florida this season. The only other class to do that was the duo of OH Brett Hensel and S Shannon Tuttle, which graduated in 1996 after being part of teams that beat #13 New Mexico in 1992, #9 Illinois, #3 Nebraska, and #8 Nebraska in `93, #15 Colorado and #9 Florida in `94, and #9 USC as well as #15 Colorado twice in `95.
NOTRE DAME WINS FIVE STRAIGHT FOR 15TH CONSECUTIVE SEASON: By prevailing in the opening five matches in 2005, Notre Dame made this the 15th consecutive season in which the Irish have had a winning streak of at least five matches, a span that covers every year since head coach Debbie Brown took over the program.
KNOCKING THEM OFF: In the 26-year history of Notre Dame volleyball, the Irish have knocked off teams ranked among the national top 12 on 11 occasions, with three of those upsets coming already this season. See pdf for a list of the top all-time Irish victories, sorted by ranking of the opponent.
RANKED WINS: See pdf for the list of most wins over nationally-ranked teams in a season for Notre Dame:
FINISHING OFF GAMES: Notre Dame has saved its best volleyball for the ends of games this season. See pdf for some examples.
BIG POINTS MAKE BIG SEASONS: See pdf for a list of some of the most important points that have led to Notre Dame’s success this season:
LET’S PLAY FIVE: In the Shamrock Invitational, Notre Dame beat both Texas and Arizona State in five-game matches before losing to LSU in the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic. The Irish are 71-61 (.538) all-time in five-game affairs, including 9-8 (against some of the top programs in the country) since the current ND seniors stepped on campus. See pdf for all of the 3-2 matches played by them.
NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND: Twice this year — both against top-15 teams — Notre Dame has been down game point, but come back to win the game. Once the Irish had a match point, but could not convert it en route to losing. See details of all three situations in pdf.
Notre Dame Player Notes …
BIG EAST HONORS: See pdf for a summary of Notre Dame’s BIG EAST weekly honors in 2005 (POW – Player of the Week; ROW – Rookie of the Week):
BREWSTER NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was named the CVU.com National Player of the Week by the Collegiate Volleyball Update on Sept. 6. It came on the heels of her being named the MVP of The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational and the BIG EAST Player of the Week after leading the Irish to five-game victories against #11 Texas and Arizona State over the weekend to claim the tournament title. Brewster is the first Notre Dame player ever to earn the honor and the second to be tabbed national player of the week by any organization. The only two-time All-American in Irish history, OH Christy Peters, was recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Sept. 27, 1993, after leading 14th-ranked Notre Dame to a three-game upset of #3 Nebraska in the Golden Dome Invitational, a victory that remains the highest-ranked win ever for the Irish. Brewster was the top Irish performer in both game fives over the weekend, combining for 10 kills on .381 hitting to go with four digs and two blocks in those decisive frames. For the tournament, Brewster led all players in both kills (46, 4.60 per game) and blocks (15, 1.50 per game) and was second in hitting percentage (.310). She also had 10 digs (1.00), two assists, and a service ace for 56.5 points (5.65).
BREWSTER, COOPER ATOP BIG EAST IN BLOCKING: Seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) enter the week atop the BIG EAST Conference blocking leaders, averaging 1.52 and 1.50, respectively. Cincinnati freshman Jessie Nevitt is next at 1.46 per game. Brewster has finished first in the BIG EAST in blocking both in overall and conference matches in each of the last three years, also taking the NCAA blocking crown in 2003. Cooper and Brewster have the Irish atop the team conference leaders in blocking (3.44), as well as eighth nationally.
TARUTIS LEADS BIG EAST IN ASSISTS: Sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) enters this week ranked first in the BIG EAST Conference in assists per game, at 12.43. Right behind her is Connecticut’s Jenny Neelands, who is averaging 12.35.
HENICAN, STASIUK AMONG TOP FIVE IN BIG EAST IN DIGS: Notre Dame is the only school to have more than one player among the top 10 in the BIG EAST Conference digging leaders. Sophomore OH/L Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) ranks fourth at 4.90 per game, while senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) is fifth at 4.45 per game.
KELBLEY EXPLODES AGAINST LOYOLA CHICAGO: Senior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) exploded offensively on Sept. 27 against Loyola Chicago, finishing with 24 kills on .688 hitting in just three games. She converted 75% of her 32 attempts for kills and missed the Irish record for kills in a three-game affair by just one. It was the most kills in a three-game match for an ND player since Emily Loomis had 24 against Valparaiso on Sept. 9, 2003.
PLEASE SERVE TO HER: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) enters this week with a streak of 105 consecutive serve receptions without an error. Her last reception error came on the first point of game three on Sept. 25 against Seton Hall. In 12 games as Notre Dame’s libero this year, she has not made a reception error in 113 attempts.
HENICAN BACK IN LIBERO JERSEY: Senior Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) has played 12 of the last 13 games in the libero jersey after starting the season at outside hitter. As the Irish libero, she is averaging 6.50 digs (78 total) and has not made a reception error in 113 attempts.
IRISH 27-3 WHEN COOPER STARTS: Notre Dame has posted a 27-3 record when current senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) is in the starting lineup, 1-0 in 2003, 16-2 in `04, and 10-1 this season.
CROAL’S KILLS: In the five-game loss to Louisiana State, freshman Mallorie Croal (Villa Park, Calif./Mater Dei H.S.) had 19 kills. It was the most by an Irish rookie since Emily Loomis had 19 against Georgetown on Sept. 30, 2001.
KELBLEY, BREWSTER NEAR 1,200 KILLS: Seniors OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) and MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) enter the week with 1,195 and 1,191 career kills, respectively. They will become the ninth and 10th Irish players ever to hit the 1,200-kill plateau.
HENICAN ON PACE TO BREAK ND CAREER DIG AVERAGE RECORD: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) heads into this weekend averaging 3.89 digs per game throughout her career, which is on pace to break the Notre Dame record of 3.72 by Christy Peters (1991-94). She also needs 355 digs to reach Peters’ record for career digs (1,640).
BREWSTER’S ASU OUTPUT AMONG BEST EVER BY AN IRISH MB: Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) had 28 kills against Arizona State on Sunday. Only once has a Notre Dame middle blocker had more kills in a match. See pdf for the list of top kill totals by Irish middles:
… AND MOST IN THE JOYCE CENTER BY ANY PLAYER SINCE 2000: The 28 kills by senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) against Arizona State on Sunday were the most in the Joyce Center by any player since Sept. 21, 2000, when Loyola Marymount’s Sarah McFarland had 45 (on 111 attempts, which still stands as an NCAA record for a four-game match) and Kristy Kreher of Notre Dame posted 32 in a four-game Irish triumph.
JUST CALL HER “MISS GAME FIVE”: Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was outstanding in the two game fives in The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational, posting 10 kills on .381 hitting to go with four digs and two blocks. Throughout her career in fifth games, Brewster is averaging 2.60 kills per game on .304 hitting (39-15-79) to go with 18 digs and 12 blocks for 45.5 points (3.03). [Note: Statistics unavailable from two game fives.]
IRON WOMAN I: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) enters the UTSA Dome Rally having played in each of the last 273 Irish games, the longest streak ever by a Notre Dame volleyball player. She played in just two of five games against Miami on Nov. 15, 2002, but then finished out that campaign and then appeared in every game in both 2003 and `04 and all 34 thus far this season. She is the only Irish player ever to play in every game in consecutive seasons.
IRON WOMAN II: Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) has played in all 101 Notre Dame matches since joining the team in 2002, starting 97 of them. She has a chance to be the third Irish player ever to play in every match during her career, following in the footsteps of Janelle Karlan (1990-93, 145 matches) and Jenny Birkner (1993-96, 140 matches).
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: See pdf for a summary of Notre Dame’s all-tournament honors in 2005:
HENICAN, BREWSTER TABBED CO-CAPTAINS: Seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and OH/L Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) will serve as Notre Dame’s co-captains this season. Henican is back for her second season in the role, after serving as the lone captain during the 2004 campaign. She is the 10th multiple-year captain in program history and just the fourth to have been a solo captain in at least one of those seasons.
LOCAL INTEREST: Freshman DS/S Madison Clark (Sturgis H.S.) hails from Sturgis, Mich., which is just across the state line and less than 50 miles east of Notre Dame. She is the most-local player for the Irish volleyball team since South Bend native Dyan Boulac wound up her career in 1993.
TOGETHER AGAIN: Sophomore S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) and freshman OH Mallorie Croal (Villa Park, Calif./Mater Dei H.S.) are teammates once again with the Irish this season. Both played for the Golden West Volleyball Club prior to coming to Notre Dame,helping it to the bronze medal at the 2004 Junior National Olympics.
Miscellaneous Notes …
IRISH MAKE AVCA POLL HISTORY: After knocking off #6 Florida and #8 USC en route to being the only 3-0 team in the UTSA Dome Rally (Sept. 9-11), Notre Dame jumped 11 spots to #8 in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Poll. The 11-place rise matched the largest single-week ascension ever for any team in the poll (BYU also moved from 19th before the NCAA tournament to eighth in the final poll in 1996). The two-poll jump of more than 17 spots (from unranked to eighth) by ND stands as the largest in the 24-year history of the AVCA poll. The previous record was the 1995 Oral Roberts team that was unranked heading into the NCAAs, then moved up to 19th after the first two rounds and 10th in the final poll. The largest two-poll jump in ND history prior to this came in 2003, when the Irish were unranked in the preseason, moved to 21st, and then to 15th. The previous best one-week movement came in 1997, when the Irish went from unranked heading into the NCAAs to 18th in the final poll. The ranking was the highest for the Irish since Sept. 3, 1996, and is just one shy of the best listing in program history (Sept. 19, 1995).
NOTRE DAME RANKS 23RD NATIONALLY IN HOME ATTENDANCE: Heading into the week, Notre Dame ranked 23rd in Division I in home volleyball attendance this season, averaging 1,172 for the first four home matches of the 2005 campaign. The season opener against Michigan drew 1,574 fans — the most ever for a campaign lidlifter and one of the top 100 crowds in the nation this year — and 1,411 watched the Oct. 25 BIG EAST opener against Seton Hall. Overall, half of ND’s 12 matches this season have been played in front of crowds of more than 1,000. The Irish will play on Oct. 17 at Illinois State, which ranks 13th in attendance (1,911 per match). Notre Dame has finished among the top 25 in home attedance in each of the last three years: 25th in 2002, 16th in `03, 17th in `04.
UPSET OF FLORIDA GIVES BROWN 350th WIN AT NOTRE DAME: The 3-0 victory over #6 Florida on Sept. 11 was the 350th for the Irish with Debbie Brown as head coach. Since first stepping onto campus in 1991, she holds a 352-118 (.747) record. She is easily the winningest coach in program history — a status she first took over in 1995 — having nearly twice as many victories as her closest competitor, Art Lambert, who was 127-87 in seven seasons from 1984-90. Brown is just the ninth head coach in Notre Dame athletics history — in any sport — to register 350+ victories while coaching the Irish, joining Yves Auriol (men’s and women’s fencing), Mike DeCicco (men’s and women’s fencing), Tom Fallon (men’s tennis and wrestling), Jake Kline (baseball), Paul Mainieri (baseball), Muffet McGraw (women’s basketball), Liz Miller (softball), and Digger Phelps (men’s basketball). Of that group, only Auriol and DeCicco hold higher winning percentages during their time at Notre Dame than Brown does.
HOME, SWEET HOME: Notre Dame’s Joyce Center has become one of the most difficult places in the nation for road teams to win, especially since the arrival of head coach Debbie Brown in 1991. Over the last 14 years, Notre Dame has posted a 169-28 (.857) home record. The Irish have pieced together a variety of impressive winning streaks on their home floor, winning 14 or more in a row on five occasions, highlighted by streaks of 27 (1993-95) and 36 (2000-02) straight home victories. Notre Dame also won 74 in a row in regular-season action against conference opposition from 1991-2004. The Irish, who have topped 14 ranked teams – including four top-10 squads – at home, also hold a 160-9 (.946) record against unranked teams in the Joyce Center, including a 52-match winning streak. Notre Dame is 4-0 at home this year, including an upset of #11 Texas.
CLASS OF THE CONFERENCE: Notre Dame has experienced unprecedented success in the decade since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 1995. The Irish have compiled a 108-6 (.947) regular-season mark, highlighted by nine titles and winning streaks of 45 and 35 consecutive matches. Notre Dame is 61-1 (.984) in BIG EAST regular-season contests in the Joyce Center, and the Irish have won eight BIG EAST tournament championships, posting a 19-2 mark and reaching the final every year. Notre Dame also has dominated the conference awards, winning player-of-the-year honors six times, the coach-of-the-year award on four occasions, and the league tournament’s most-outstanding-player award seven times. Also, Notre Dame student-athletes have garnered 35 all-conference accolades, including 21 first-team honors, which account for more than one-third of the first-team selections during the span. After being the preseason favorite 10 years in a row, the Irish were picked by the league head coaches to finish second to newcomer Louisville in 2005. Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was chosen as the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, and she was joined on the preseason all-BIG EAST team by senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.), a unanimous selection.
ALL SIX ND FALL TEAMS IN NATIONAL TOP 20: The volleyball team is not the only Notre Dame team off to a hot start, as all six Irish fall sports head into this week ranked among the national top 20. The four team sports have combined for a 25-6 record, including 8-2 against nationally-ranked teams (4-1 vs. top-10 foes). Women’s cross country leads the way in the rankings at third, while women’s soccer and men’s cross country are sixth, volleyball is 10th, football is 13th, and men’s soccer is 18th.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS: The Notre Dame women’s volleyball team posted its highest grade-point average on record for an academic year in 2004-05 and was rewarded as a recipient of a Game Plan/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. The Irish, who had a team GPA of 3.362, were one of just four Division I squads to earn the Team Academic Award and also win at least one match in the 2004 NCAA Championship (also Kansas State, Ohio, and Wichita State). The AVCA Team Academic Award honors college and high-school teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale. Notre Dame was one of 45 Division I programs to be so recognized. The Irish previously copped the honor in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
TV STARS: Notre Dame will be featured on television at least three times during the 2005 season. The Irish beat Texas on Sept. 3 in The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational in the Joyce Center, which was part of the AVCA’s national match-of-the-week package on College Sports Television (CSTV). Also part of that package will be the BIG EAST Championship title match on Nov. 20 in Louisville (ND has played in that match all 10 seasons since becoming a league member). Additionally, the Irish will make their ESPNU debut on Oct. 30 against Cincinnati and then play host to Tennessee on Nov. 26 in the Irish Thanksgiving Invitational in a match to be televised by Comcast Sports Net. A year ago, Notre Dame was on TV three times in road matches (CSTV at South Carolina, Comcast at Michigan, BYU TV at Brigham Young). The Irish — who played host to Miami in 2003 in a CSTV match — are one of just 10 schools who have been on the regular-season slate of CSTV’s match-of-the-week series in all three years since it debuted. The others are Colorado State, Florida, Hawai’i, Nebraska, Pepperdine, Santa Clara, Stanford, Texas, and Utah.
TOTAL ACCESS ON CSTV BEGINS OCT. 9: College Sports Television will feature a special monthly 30-minute original program called Total Access that concentrates solely on Notre Dame athletics. The show will air on Oct. 9 and then on the first Sunday of every month for the rest of 2005 and returning on Jan. 8, 2006. The first show will feature a “Cribs”-style tour of the dorm room of Irish junior DS/L Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.).
KEEPING UP WITH ND VOLLEYBALL: For the fastest results of Notre Dame volleyball matches, call the Notre Dame sports hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #5 and #1. The hotline provides schedules and result information for all Irish varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the match recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletics website at www.und.com. The hotline is the first medium updated with results of each Notre Dame volleyball match. Once again, www.und.com will be the best place for in-depth coverage of Irish volleyball. Live scoring of all home matches, as well as live internet broadcasts of six contests supplement the regular match previews and recaps. In addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting assistant sports information director Bo Rottenborn at Rottenborn.2@nd.edu. All requests for story ideas, interview access, match credentials, and further information on Irish volleyball should similarly be directed to Rottenborn. Credential and interview requests should be made at least 24 hours in advance.